Job Application

olivia

Hi all, just looking some advice, I have just completed AAT and having just come out of an another career I am in the process of looking for a job in accounts. At the moment I am doing some volunteer work to gain some experience, I have started applying for jobs mainly Trainee Accountants positions, my queries are on the application forums some just ask for CV others have a Job Specification which has a Essential or Desirable requirement. One Essential on some applications is must be educated to degree level with a minimum of a 2.1 honours, What im asking is it worth going for these jobs would my AAT qualification be enough maybe to get me an interview. Also they ask what pay I would expect, If someone could let me know what salary a Trainee Accountant roughly starts on. Thanks for your time.

Helenb

As far as I know a level 4 NVQ is meant to be the same level as a degree so I'd go for it, most of the AAT qualified people that I know have a better understanding of the way different parts of the accounts department work which is really makes a difference. Keep in mind that CIMA will give me the same exemptions when I qualify as they have done to the people I work with that have degrees in accounts (depending on what they cover) Our Junior management accountants start at about £18500. Hope this helps, Good Luck!

olivia

Thanks for the advice Helenb

Jan

Olivia,
Sorry to disappoint but a 2:1 honours Degree is level 6 and you would need to get between 60 (i think) - 69% at that level to get a 2:1, above 70% for a 1st.

If you think of GCSE's as level 2, A levels as level 3 then NVQ4 level 4 is equivelent to 1st year of a degree course.

Having said that someone who has a degree won't have the practical experience of an AAT qualifier if they have taken the NVQ route, so it might be worth giving a company a quick call to check if they would consider you, especially if you are willing to continue with further study.

richardw

An NVQ level 4 is at 4 on the National Qualifications Framework, equivelent to the first year of a degree, which is why you can get 1st year exemption on some degree courses.

If they state that a requirement is a degree to 2:1 honours, thats 2 levels above the AAT, its actually a very good degree.

Cudey

Out of interest what does the ACCA relate too then? Would this be like a 2:1 or what?

Bluewednesday

Apparently (and don't quote me on this) passing ACCA is equivalent to masters level, if you had a degree you would still have to complete final level papers.

Cudey

Bluewednesday wrote: »

Apparently (and don't quote me on this) passing ACCA is equivalent to masters level, if you had a degree you would still have to complete final level papers.

Thanks for the reply, does make sense as people who come out of uni tend to do the final papers as you stated. However isn't there an MBA extension avaliable on the MBA?

richardw

from the ACCA site:

Through our unique partnership with Oxford Brookes University, you can gain a BSc Honours degree in Applied Accounting either while you complete your ACCA studies or after gaining your ACCA Qualification.

So ACCA is probably equivalent to a degree.
Looking on the ACCA exemptions db, MSc & BSc subjects where i work get the same exemptions.
I dont think any professional qualifications are equivalent to Masters level academic qualifications.

Bluewednesday

You can gain the Oxford Brookes degree after the fundamentals level, you don't have to do the professional level for that degree.

Therefore it surely must be higher level than a degree.

Oh where is NeilH when you need him, he would know!

peugeot

When I completed ACCA a couple of years ago the examiner reports at the (then) final level stated that the final level papers were set to masters standard (the old 3.7 examiner was renowned for stating this).